Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Jesus Lives By Sarah Young

Jesus Lives By Sarah Young

As a member of the Thomas Nelson Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ , I had the opportunity to review Sara Young’s devotional book, Jesus Lives. I was pleasantly surprised at the extent of this book’s reliance on scripture. Each topic/ page is supplemented by two or three complimentary biblical verses. The topics such as : brokenness, trials, trust, worry, heaven and idolatry are relevant in today’s society. What makes this book even more practical is the fact that each verse is explicitly written out. Additionally, the theme of each verse is interwoven within the text of the devotional passage.
This book is truly a great resource. It brings to life biblical passages. Theologically and doctrinally this devotional is consistent with the message of the bible. This book will stand the test of scrutiny of any theologian. Yet, it is simple enough to be appreciated and understood by new Christians, and the secular reader as well. Biblical truth is not watered down- this is not just another “feel- good” type of motivational book. While, motivating and encouraging to the reader, this book does not water down the message of salvation, nor does this book dismiss the reality or the purpose of pain and suffering which is indeed, a fact of life in this imperfect and sinful world.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, MD and David L. Henderson, MD

As a member of the Thomas Nelson Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ , I had the opportunity to review this spiritually motivating book, Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain.
Consider the two verses, Psalm 34:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”, and James 2:2&3, “Count it all joy, my breathren when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Imagine life if you actually had to face various trials and evils such as injustice, death, loneliness, failure, rejection, depression and terminal illness. For many of us, this is an unbearable thought as we are far removed from facing such hardships and trials. Maybe we have been lucky enough not to have to face extreme hardships. But for the rest of us, these torments and pains are all too real. The trials of life are often crippling, beyond what we can bear using our own means and resources.
Finally embodied in a book, there is spiritual aid and support that does not dismiss the pains of life, nor does it deny the existence of pain nor does it make excuses. This book acknowledges the extreme pains and trials we may face and it offers spiritually satisfying ways of facing life’s difficult issues. Hope and happiness does not need to end in the face of calamity, injustice and pain. God can use our pain for a greater good or purpose. God is not simply an abstract, unreachable power, but is depicted as a source of real and concrete strength that is more powerful than even the worst of our pain.
The anecdotes in this book are not simply superficial tales of misfortune. The stories and hardships such as terminal illness, death, forclosure, and unemployment faced by some of the case studies are timely as well as very real. In the face of such hardship and trials, to see examples of the good which results, are very motivating. It offers true hope that can shine as a light in the darkness of despair. Written with empathy and sensitivity, I recommend this book as an effective resource for those who are enduring the most difficult trials of life.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

As a member of the Thomas Nelson Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ , I had the opportunity to review the book: Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World. Dr. Jeremiah offers practical and spiritually enriching strategies for coping in this difficult world that we live in. When faced with today’s traumatic events such as sickness, death, divorce, natural and political disasters, crime, loss of financial security, foreclosure, and unemployment- a word of comfort as well as practical biblical coping mechanisms are offered to help ease the pain.
This timely topics of this book are simplistic and well organized. The reading level is very simple, and there are MANY anecdotes throughout the text. Basic biblical principals are transformed into self help strategies that can turn feelings of anxiety and depression into positive times of productivity. Common sense strategies are organized into chapters: 1. Stay Calm, 2. Stay Compassionate, 3. Stay Constructive, 4. Stay Challenged 5. Stay Connected, 6. Stay Centered, 7. Stay Confident, 8. Stay Consistent, 9. Stay Committed, 10. Stay Convinced. Basically, the theme of this book is that despite the circumstances around you, as an individual, you do have control over how you respond.
Although biblical examples and teachings are applied throughout the book, this book is general enough, nonetheless to be used as a self help guide for the secular audience as well. This book shows that not only can sound biblical principals be applied in the apostolic age, but in these difficult modern days as well. I would recommend this book for anyone who is seeking some common sense guidance and comfort for their lives.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Well- Behaved Child by John Rosemond

As a member of the Thomas Nelson Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ , I had the privilege of reviewing John Rosemond’s parenting book, The Well- Behaved Child.
Of all the parenting/ child rearing books on the market today, Rosemond’s strategies, based on traditional common sense, have been the most enlightening. This book is based on the basic premise that children, by nature are prone to misbehave, and therefore require a parent to understand, address and discipline such issues so as to raise happy, well adjusted children. In fact, he states on page two, “the incontrovertible badness of children is why it takes most of two decades to fully socialize them. This badness is the reason for this book.” Firstly, before anything else, a parent must understand the basic antisocial, selfish tendency of a child, and address it- rather than dismiss or rationalize it.
This book dispels common child rearing myths which prevail in today’s society. For example, he advocates leadership rather than ineffective reasoning. The parent is the authority figure and does not have to justify his/ her actions to a child. The parent need not and should not engage in debates or bargaining with a child also referred to as the “short and sweet” principal. Rosemond is a proponent of the effectiveness of “reverse psychology”. Contrary to popular opinion, what works to train a dog will not work for a child. Behavior modification is simply ineffective and temporary. Furthermore offering rewards in exchange for positive behavior is just a short term solution and in the long run, it just promotes the cycle of manipulation and control the child has over the parent and authority in general. “Reward- based discipline …. teach[es] children how to manipulate parents [teaching] that misbehavior and underachievement are the tickets to getting special privileges”. P 17 Additionally, time-outs are simply ineffective, akin to “trying to fend off a charging elephant with a flyswatter”. P 13 These are just a few examples of some of the parenting techniques and philosophies.
Using relevant case studies, and summing up basic strategies and principals, positive and effective parenting strategies are offered in this book in an easy to understand format. I would recommend this book to any parent who wishes to raise a responsible and well adjusted child.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Kabul24 By Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson

Kabul24, is the true life story of the hostages whose only “crimes” were their selfless humanitarian efforts accomplished via the Shelter Now International (SNI) humanitarian efforts. These courageous hostages were guilty of no crimes and deprived of basic human dignities and rights, simply because they were a perceived threat of the evil and corrupt Taliban Regime. Betrayed by the very people they sought to help, in a world where the threat of arrest, coercion, blackmail, torture and death loom, these men and women of the SNI were deprived of their rights, and thrown into jail cells.

Fear of torture and death as well as the on-going inhumane conditions of filth, squalor and deprivation, was their “reward” for dedicating their lives to humanitarian efforts to improve the lives and conditions of men, women and children. Despite the months of imprisonment, and the phony charges and mock trials, their faith in God did not waiver.

This is the day to day, behind the scenes story that was not depicted on TV or in the newspaper. From the dramatic and ominous unfolding of events prior to their arrest, to the imprisonment and ongoing fears of facing an uncertain future, to the abrupt and joyful release, the reader can follow the unfolding of events from start to finish! Arnold and Pearson vividly capture the rush of emotions experienced by these captives as well as the heroism. As a member of the Thomas Nelson Blogger Program,
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ I recommend this book to anyone who wish to get more insight and inspiration and to see the real live people behind the story of the Taliban Kidnapping of the SNI hostages.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Everyday Greatness By Stephen R. Covey

As a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ I had the opportunity to review Stephen R. Covey’s compendium of moral inspirational stories, Everyday Greatness.

Covey’s book is like a textbook in morals. Moral values are categorized and explicitly described via real life stories which serve as examples or case studies. Morals are grouped together in sections. Each section begins with a brief introduction- the style is reminiscent to the learning goals which can be found in an elementary text book prior to each new unit. For each moral topic, there is a short summary in an easy to digest format called the “Wrap Up” and “Reflections” at the end of each chapter. Also included are relevant quotations from a colorful assortment of literary, political and religious figures.

While not explicitly biblical, the humanistic moral values within the pages are not offensive and are compatible with Christianity nonetheless. The book draws upon the worldly wisdom of philosophers and other assorted well known figures ranging from Nietzsche, Tom Hanks, Ghandi and Mother Theresa to John McCain and George Bush.
Perhaps this book is most useful as a starting point to introduce non religious readers and non Christians to basic moral values.

This book is not to be used explicitly as a Christian resource but rather as a generic, secular resource for anyone wishing to strive for a moral life. This book is a good instruction manual on general moral values and good citizenship. It is clear that this ambitious piece of work represents a lot of research and hard work on the part of Stephen R. Covey. The books weakness in promoting the Christian faith and biblical values serves as a great strength as well as it is an effective resource to draw the interest of a secular audience. Nevertheless as a Christian, I would have liked to see more biblical quotes and biblical wisdom along side the secular quotes and secular wisdom.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

New Testament Biblical Commentary


My commentary/ summary of the New Testament letters is now complete. Please visit the archives to see my earlier posts.

Rick & Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage By Rick Burgess & Bill “Bubba” Bussey

More reliable than your best friend’s advice, more objective than your Mom, and more convenient than a marriage counselor, if you wish to work toward strengthening your marriage, then take a look at this book. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not need to have a fairy tale marriage to be content. Rick & Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage By Rick Burgess & Bill “Bubba” Bussey relies on the wisdom of God & common sense, as well as their own humorous life stories to offer objective and constructive advise for couples. This encouraging book offers realistic and positive suggestions for working through even the most difficult of marital relationships.
The biggest strength of this book is its objectivity rather than its reliance on feelings and emotions. Sometimes feelings can make a person act impulsively and irrationally. While acknowledging that one’s spouse can sometimes be less than lovable, this book empowers the reader to make practical decisions that strengthen a marriage. A marriage can be strengthened despite the fact that a spouse does not always change and may not always be cooperative.
This easy to read book includes real life and funny anecdotes to illustrate the trials of marriage. The careful use of satire and humor bring new light to painful and difficult situations that married couples face. Financial issues, busybody in-laws and friends, are addressed as well as many other issues. Side bars of information such as “The Ten Commandments of Marriage”, “His Money, Her Money”, “Sample Apologies for Men” and the “Top Ten worst Ways to say, I’m sorry” employ the clever use of satire to add an element of humor when addressing problems.
As a member of the Thomas Nelson Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ , I had the pleasure of reviewing this book. I would recommend it for any couple.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Revelation

Revelation
John, being filled with the Spirit of God, on a Sunday, on the island of Patmos, received the Revelation of Jesus Christ from an angel in order to write what he saw so it would be available to all. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophesy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3

In the letters to the seven churches, Jesus urges all people to trust in the Good News and to live by their faith in Jesus. In general, do we ever find it easy to worship the Lord? We are in the end times right now! We should not be paranoid, of course, but setting aside ridiculous and outrageous conspiracy theories, we can tell by the signs that the Day of the Lord is drawing near. Countless phony Christians and hypocrites succumb to worldly pressures and temptations. Think about how many people profess to be believers but their actions tell another story. Countless numbers claim to be Christians, but in actuality, they are ashamed of the gospel message of Christ. False teachers and phony prophets are everywhere, teaching a phony Christ and spreading lies to the naïve. These anti-Christs and anti churches are reaping in hoards of new members, even stealing from Jesus’ own flock. To these counterfeit Christians and false churches, Jesus himself will tell them “depart… for I never knew you.”

Memos to Seven Ancient Christian Churches: John begins with a series of memos, directed to specific ancient churches addressing specific issues. Keep in mind that these words are as applicable today as they were in ancient times.

Memo #1 To Ephesus: You were once courageous and strong in your love & faith, but what happened? You have fallen- turn back to your former dedication! Its not too late now, but if you wait forever, you never know. It could be worse- at least you don’t tolerate the evils of the Nicolaitions.

Memo #2 To Smyrna: Persevere during the tough times and don’t give up. Don’t let the poverty and hardships get you discouraged. The most important thing is this: built up your treasures in Heaven. Your spiritual wealth is greater than you think, and when the Devil tempts you and tests you, keep up your faith and don’t succumb. Keep your eyes on heaven!

Memo #3 To Pergamum: You are right in the midst of Satan’s dominion- you are surrounded by false religion- specifically Balaam worship. God is well aware of this, and you have done well in standing your ground and maintaining your faith. But that is still not an excuse, you can do better. Don’t put up with any false worship or false teachers or idols whatsoever. Don’t compromise or taint your faith just to please others!

Memo #4 To Thyatria: Keep up the good work, God is very pleased with your faith, and service. But watch out for false teachers and prophets that teach lies and lead others astray. Specifically, you need to stop tolerating the false prophet Jezebel. She is destroying the church and faith of many with her lies and immoral ways. To the rest of you, who are aware and discouraged, maintain your faith and hope because false prophets and teachers will get what is coming to them. Those who remain faithful will have their reward in heaven.

Memo #5 To Sardis: You are nothing but hypocrites, and while you may fool men, you are not fooling God. Your phony works won’t save you. Watch out, because if you don’t return to the original message of faith you will be caught off guard when the Lord returns. To any of you who do believe and are faithful, do not fear, your faith will save you.

Memo #6 To Philadelphia: You are spiritually weak, that is true. But you aren’t lost altogether. Though it would be better for you to work on your faith and strength, at least during difficult times, you did not out right deny the Lord. But to those of you who are hypocrites and phonies, you are not fooling the Lord! For the rest of you, hold on to your faith no matter what. Don’t waiver or let fear get the better of you. The Lord will be patient with you.

Memo #7 To Ladocia: There is nothing special about you. You are not pure evil but you really aren’t faithful either. It is as if you couldn’t care less. You are indifferent. You are basically stagnant. You are simply lukewarm. You brag about your material wealth and ignore those who are impoverished and ill. Do you think the Lord is pleased? Not at all. You are sickening in the eyes of the Lord. Its not too late to change your ways. If you do, the Lord will welcome you. In fact, the Lord invites you.

The following description include a lot of symbolism that may have been understood by the contemporary people of 2000 years ago.


A Brief Outline Of What Is To Come
***************
The Seven Seals of the Scroll opened by the lamb
The first seal: Horsemen on white horse sent to conquer man
The second seal: Horsemen on fiery red horse sent to take away peace by causing men to kill eachother.
The third seal: Horsemen on black horse holding scales in his hand which stand for the greed of man.
The fourth seal: Horsemen called Death on pale horse followed by Hades and given the power to kill 1/4 human population by hunger, swords, and beasts.
The fifth seal: Martyrs told they must wait until their number is completed.
The sixth seal: Earthquake occurs, sun becomes black, moon becomes like blood, stars fall from heavy winds, sky recedes, mountains and islands moved .
pre-seventh: Four angels waiting at the four corners of the earth are told not to do anything until God’s people are sealed.. God’s people receive God’s seal on their foreheads. (144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Judah presently at that time alive on earth.).
The seventh seal: Silence in heaven for 1/2 hour. An angel throws a bowl (Censer) filled with fire to the earth causing thunder and lightening and an earthquake.

The Seven Angels With Seven Trumpets
The first trumpet: Hail, fire, blood and the burning of 1/3 grass and 1/3 of the trees.
The second trumpet: Great burning mountain thrown into the sea, 1/3 sea becomes blood, killing 1/3 sea creatures and destroying 1/3 ships.
The third trumpet: Star called Wormwood falls onto 1/3 rivers and springs turning 1/3 of water into wormwood causing the deaths of men
The fourth trumpet: 1/3 sun struck, 1/3 moon struck and 1/3 stars struck causing 1/3 day and 1/3 night not to shine.
The fifth trumpet: Star, with the key to the bottomless pit, thrown down from heaven. Bottomless pit opened, blackening the earth with smoke, and releasing locusts (whose king in Hebrew is Abado, and Apolyon in Greek), tormented those without God’s seal for 5 months.
The sixth trumpet: The four angels from the Euphrates river are unbound. With an army of 200 million horsemen, they kill 1/3 of the population. Those not killed did not repent to God but continued to sin by the worship idols, stealing, lying, immorality, and others...
Pre-seventh: Angel with a little book spoke with a voice of seven thunders which John was told he could not write down since it contained the mystery of God and how the mystery would be completed. John was told to eat the book which tasted sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach. He was then told to measure the temple of God, not including the court where the gentiles (those not of God)will be.

God’s two witnesses and the Three Woes
God sends two witnesses of his Word, and gives them great authority and power to preach the Good News. Man does not accept them, and hates them. As a result they endure the wrath of God they deserve. The Beast, arises from the Bottomless Pit, kills the two witnesses and leaves their bodies to decay in full view for 3 1/2 days in Sodom and Egypt (the spot where Jesus was crucified). Everyone regards the Beast as a hero, and they are joyful. After the 3 1/2 days, the two witnesses are resurrected and they ascend into heaven. An earthquake then occurs causing 1/10 of the city to fall, and killing 7,000 people. The rest give glory to God.

The Seventh trumpet or the third woe: The nations of nonbelievers of the earth are enraged at God’s wrath. It is time for the (first) Judgment. God’s temple is opened and the ark of the covenant is revealed. There is hail thunder lightening and earthquake.

The Dragon
A woman has a male child. The Dragon wants to eat the child who is to rule all the nations. God takes the child to his throne and prepares a place of safer for the woman from the Dragon for 1,260 days in the desert. Michael fights the dragon sending the Devil and his agents to torment the people of earth for a short time. Dragon continues to pursue the woman. The woman is given wings to escape. The Dragon becomes very angry and decides to torment the God’s people who are on earth.



The Beast
A Beast (with seven horns, seven crowns and blasphemous name) is given authority and power by the Dragon. The Beast who had a mortally wounded, but healed head amazed and received praise from the people. People followed and worshipped the Dragon who gave authority to the Beast, because the Beast seemed to be so great. Many began to blaspheme God. This Beast ruled for 42 months waging war with those few who still followed God, who were written in the Book Of Life, while the others worshipped the Beast.

The Second Beast
Then there came a second Beast who exercised the authority of the first Beast in the presence of the first Beast. The second Beast made people worship the first Beast, while performing many miracles ignored to deceive many people. Then an image is made of the first beast, and the second Beast tells people to worship the image. The second Beast gives life to the image of the first Beast, and the image kills those who do not worship the first Beast. The second Beast gives the mark 666, on the forehead of all who worship the first beast. Unless one has this mark, he can not buy or sell anything.

Jesus Reaps the Harvest
On Mount Zion, the 144,000, given God’s seal, are told to preach the news of God to all. A second angel proclaims that Babylon has fallen and a third angel declares that anyone who worships the beast, who has the 666 mark will suffer the same torment as that of the Beast/Devil. The harvest is ready for Jesus to reap. With the help of angels, the people of God will be separated from the people who are not of God. The temple of the tabernacle of God is opened. Those who have not believed and accepted Jesus, those who do not have the Word of Jesus in their hearts, will suffer God’s just wrath.



The seven Bowls of the seven plagues
“Behold, I come as a thief!” Revelation 16:15 The people of God are prepared, yet, those not of God are not.
The first bowl: All who have the mark of the Beast will become covered with sores.
The second bowl: The sea becomes blood; all sea creatures die.
The third bowl: Springs of water become blood.
The fourth bowl: Men are scorched with fire; still they do not repent and they continue to blaspheme God.
The fifth bowl: The Beast, its kingdom and its worshippers exposed to darkness and pain, still do not repent
The sixth bowl: Euphrates, the river, is dried up in order to prepare the way for three kings. Three bad spirits come forth from the mouths of the False Profit, the Dragon and the Beast (the evil trinity).
The seventh bowl: God’s people are rewarded while the Beast’s follower are punished. “It is done”, declares a loud voice from the temple’s throne. There is lightening, thunder, Earthquakes the great city is split into three parts, mountains and islands fall and men blaspheme God.

Babylon Falls
Babylon destroys and overcome by God. The followers of evil are punished. People lose their riches and the economic markets are destroyed. Many lament the loss of their wealth due to their greed. The city of great importance to material wealth is destroyed.

Victory
Praise is given to God. The Blessed are rewarded. Jesus is exalted. Those who follow God are part of the marriage of the Lamb and the Bride.. The Beast is punished and so are all whom have received his mark. They are killed or thrown into the Lake of Fire. Satan/devil/dragon is bound for 1,000 years in the abyss.

The first resurrection and the 1,000 year reign of Christ
Martyrs and those of God are the first to be resurrected and they reign with Christ for 1,000 years. These are the blessed in which the Second Death has no power.

The second Resurrection
After being bound Saran is released to deceive the nations. Then he is thrown into the Lake of Fire with the Beast and the false profit forever! The rest of the dead, after the 1,000 year reign of Christ is resurrected. All the dead stand before God, books are opened, one book is the Book of Life. Those whose names are written in the book of life are not judged. Those not in the book of life are judged according to their deeds. Anyone not in the book of life is thrown with death and Hades into the Lake of Fire, and this is called the Second Death.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:3
Then there is a new heaven and a new earth. All of the old things have passed away. God will be with his people. There will be no more sadness or death.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Completion of Romans through Jude


I have finally completed and posted all the letters of the New Testament from Romans- Jude. Please scroll this blog as well as explore the archives for all these posts. The commentary/ summary of Revelation is under construction. Please be patient as it may take some time.


1,2, & 3 John and Jude

1JOHN

Chapter 1: The Purpose of the Message

The apostles, are unified in their purpose: to testify to the truthfulness of the gospel message which they have observed first hand. The invitation of eternal life offered by the gospel message is extended to believers everywhere so that in believing, they too may have fellowship with the Father, Son and each other as well. God represents goodness. There is no evil to be found within God, so if we claim we walk in fellowship with God, yet still behave as if we are evil, then we are lying and deceiving ourselves. The blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse us from our sin. If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us. But if we try to make the claim that we do not sin, then we may as well call God a liar. Be assured, that those who say they have no sin, and are not in need of forgiveness, are not in fellowship with God, but rather they are simply living in denial.

Chapter 2: A Faithful Life

God wants us to live a life consistent with our faith. If we have total disregard for God’s commands, then how can we claim we are in fellowship with God? We are nothing but liars. Remember the greatest commandment? That is to love one another; to love your neighbor as yourself? If we love, then we are in the light and living in fellowship with God and His commands. But if we hate our neighbor, or our fellow brother, then we live in darkness. We are forgiven and justified through Jesus. Through Jesus we can have fellowship with God. We can overcome the Devil which is the Evil One. Remember the best way to beat the Devil is to make sure God’s word remains within. Do not pursue worldly goals which include pride, selfish ambition and fleshly lust.

According to prophecy, the antichrist is supposed to come. But keep this in mind, anyone who opposes God can be considered an anti Christ, and we have already had many false teachers and false prophets who claim to be representing God’s message. Simply put, anyone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah, is the antichrist. Whoever denies the Son, Jesus, denies the Father as well. God’s promise to us is eternal life- a gift beyond comprehension. The least we can do is remain loyal.

Chapter 3: Gods Command- Belief in Jesus and to Love One Another

God has loved us so much that we can be called God’s children. We should have confidence and not shame. Consider that the world doesn’t know us, because we are no longer part of this world but part of God. Maybe we have some questions as to the particular details and that is okay as well. The future in its entirety has not yet been revealed. All we know is this: when Jesus returns, we will somehow be like Him and with Him. That is our hope. There is no sin in God. Remember that sin is associated with the Devil! It is God’s intent to eventually destroy sin. As children of God, we are no longer under the curse of sin, because the penalty for our sin has been paid. But that does not mean we should sin. After all, to sin is to break the law. Remember what God’s greatest commandment is: to love one another and to love our neighbor as our self? We have no excuse to not follow this commandment. The world does not follow this commandment and that is why the world is in opposition with God’s children. Remember Cain hated his brother and murdered him. Therefore if we hate our brother we are no better than Cain who was a murderer! Murderers will not inherit eternal life. Just as Jesus sacrificed his life for us, we should learn from the example of Jesus and show love for one another. We should act on our faith and live our faith! To emphasis it again, this is the command of God: to believe in the name of Jesus and to love one another. If we do this our hearts and conscious will be clear. But if we don’t do this, our hearts and conscious will condemn us. When we keep this command, we remain in God and God will remain in us. Love is considered to be the ultimate test of our faith and of our sincerity in the truth. The reason is this: it is not always to love our brother or our neighbor as we love ourselves. We tend to be greedy, selfish, envious and competitive. Oftentimes to truly love our brother, neighbor and especially our enemies, we have to overcome our natural inclinations of selfishness.

Chapter 4: The Truth Vs Lies about Jesus

“Dear friends do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every Spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard he is coming and he is already in the world now.” 1John 4: 1-3 What this means is this: when you hear a new teaching, pay attention to what is said about Jesus. If it is not consistent with what you have learned, then it is not from the Holy Spirit at all, but from the devil. In fact, even now, many are deceived into believing lies about Jesus. Countless people are drawn into false religions and false teachings that distort who Jesus really is. Don’t be just another statistic. Make sure what you hear is consistent with the bible message! Don’t be discouraged, we who are from God, have no part in this world. We can discern the true spirit of truth from the spirit of lies.

The testimony of God

Repeating what we have taught so far: If we truly love God, we will love one another as well. God remains in us when we love one another and when we testify that the Father sent the son to be our savior and that Jesus is the Son of God. God’s love has the power to conquer the evil of this world. God testifies on behalf of Jesus. The Spirit of God, The blood of Jesus and the water, testify in unison to the truth about Jesus Christ. They are all in agreement that God has given us eternal life through His Son. Now that is assurance. Anyone who denies this, essentially calls God a liar. Without the Son, you will not have eternal life! If you deny this truth that God Himself testifies to, then you are calling God a liar.

Prayer

Prayer is not just a waste of time. We can have the utmost confidence that our prayers will be heard by God. And even greater is that God will provide whatever we ask for in accordance with His will. Also remember to pray for one another including sins. Keep as far away as you can from idols, idol worship or any worldly thing that comes in between you and your faith in God. When we place our faith in God, we are under God’s protection- safe from the Evil One. Through Jesus we may have eternal life. “We are in the true One- that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1John 5:20


2JOHN

The apostle John follows up with the theme of his first letter: the command to love one another. Although this letter is mainly addressed to a specific woman, in John’s own words, it may be applied to all believers as well.

The Command to Love:

Remember to follow the command to love one another. When you do this, you affirm your faith in God. Remember in all areas of your life and your actions to so this.

The Antichrist:

Thos who do not teach that Jesus came to this world as a man of flesh in order to die for our sins is an anti- Christ. He is a false teacher who is deceiving others. Don’t believe these false teachers! You know better by now. And furthermore, if anyone adds to the teachings of God, he does not have God either. God does not approve of adding to the message. Do not aid in the dissemination of lies. If a false teacher asks you for your support in delivering and promoting his phony message, do not give him a donation and do not provide for him any other aid otherwise you are helping him to spread his lies about Jesus! Hold fast to your truth, don’t risk everything all the efforts you have made so far!

3JOHN

The Apostle John wrote this letter to Gaius, to encourage and commend him for his faith.

Whatever you do for your fellow believer, testifies on behalf of your faith and love for God. Think about the self sufficiency of our teachers in the faith- they do not taint themselves or compromise themselves by accepting support from heathens and pagans. Therefore we should do what we can to help them out and to support each other so that we too may be co-workers in the truth. If any of you are simply out for glory and recognition, then forget it! Your priorities could not be further from the will of God. Do not hinder those who are actually spreading the message of the Lord. Remember do not imitate evil. Rather, you should imitate what is good.

JUDE

Jude wrote this letter as a warning about false teachers and their deceptions.

There are some men, false teachers who are distorting the truth and teaching lies. They advocate promiscuity and deny Jesus! Don’t worry, they will receive the judgment and punishment that is in store for them. Remember the examples of how God has handled other evil people in the past. Remember how the Egyptians were destroyed and how Sodom and Gomorah were destroyed because of their evil perversions. Consider the angels who were expelled from heaven and to this very day await their eternal punishment for having disobeyed God. They will all suffer eternal punishment in eternal fire! How dare these sick and depraved people who commit sexual immorality dare to presume they have any knowledge. They are like stupid animals, blaspheming anything that their puny little minds can’t understand. How dare they reject God’s authority and dismiss his gospel message. “Woe to them” Jude 1: 11 Even the angels themselves know better than to question God’s authority.

Remember these filthy perverted people are not far from you at all. Keep an eye out for them! You will even find them at church, sitting in the pews next to you, muttering hymns and maybe even partaking in the ceremony of the Lord’s supper! They are hypocrites. Don’t be fooled by their outwardly religious façade. They are counterfeit Christians. They are unholy and perverted, driven by selfish desire and ambition. They will flatter people just to exploit them and use them and take advantage. These people are spiritually dead! Remember what you were told countless times by the other apostles as well. In the end times, these filthy people, these hypocrites and false teachers will increase in number. They will have their evil influences within churches even to the point of creating divisions and dissention! Keep your hopes and faith in God, and do not waiver. Remember love your enemies: hate the sin but love the sinner, but be careful that you too do not get caught up in or tempted by the sins of others.

Remember that God has the power to protect you . through Jesus you are made blameless. “To the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and authority before all time, now and forever”. Jude 1:25

James, 1Peter & 2Peter

JAMES:

Chapter 1:

Going Through Tough Times

“Consider it a great joy my brothers whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2 The byproduct of going through a trial is an increase in endurance and personal strength. That does not mean that it is right to say that God creates trials for this purpose- it simply is a statement that when we go through difficult times, then we grow in strength. Remember, just as God cannot be tempted or lured by sin and evil, he does not willingly tempt us. It is our own evil desires which lead to our downfall. So, don’t accuse God or hold Him responsible! It is our own weakness and tendency to sin that is the cause of our temptation and subsequent downfall. And remember this, don’t be puffed out with self praise just because you think you are better than anyone else. If obeying the Lord naturally comes easy for you, good for you! Keep your boasting to yourself, because remember, one day your life will end just as the autumn leaves which dry up al fall off the trees. And if you struggle daily to obey the word of God, don’t beat yourself up over it, praise God, because you are aware of your spiritual need. No matter what, keep this one thing in mind, when you do have the strength to endure hardships and tests in life, remember you will be blessed all the more when it is finally over! The message we have heard makes us a new life in Christ, we are totally different! If there is something we do not understand, or something we really feel that we need or that is important to us, we should ask God about it. And not only this, we should be confident in God’s willingness and ability to meet all of our needs!

Your Behavior

Keep a reign on your temper! If you have a short fuse, watch your mouth- and keep it shut. Put a muzzle on your mouth. If you want to hit someone, go lock yourself in a closet- restrain yourself! If you know you have a problem in this department, some anger management skills cannot hurt. Anger does nothing to help others come to God! And remember, don’t use “righteous anger” as an excuse to do or say whatever you want either. So think about it, your anger accomplishes nothing to promote the message of God. In fact it hinders others from understanding and accepting the good news of salvation. Do you think you are religious? Do you feel you have a gift? Well think twice- if you are consumed with anger, all the preaching in the world will not help your listeners or draw them closer to God. “Rid yourselves of all moral filth and evil excess.” James 1:21 Don’t just read the bible and listen to sermons. Do something about it! Put what you read and learn into practice as well. Remember to help one another in need.

Chapter 2:

Playing Favorites

Don’t play favorites! How unfair! Don’t be quick to judge others by their clothing and wealth. Remember that in God’s eyes, those who wear designer clothing, handbags & jewelry and who drive expensive have no advantage! Do you think they are better people because they have money? Then why do you act as if they are better by giving them preferential treatment and by acting nicer to them! What an injustice! Don’t you know that when you do that you are guilty of discrimination? Don’t you know that you are taking the liberty of being a judge! How dare you! And what good do the wealthy do anyway, but to flaunt their riches as if they are better, and to use their so called power for selfish ambition? Remember that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. His message was delivered to the poor as well as the wealthy. God considers all to be equal and commands us all to love our neighbors- whether they are poor or rich! So stop being a stuck up snob- treat everyone with fairness.

Doing the Word; Bringing Your Faith to Life!

Bring your faith to life, by putting into practice what you read and what you learn. If you see someone in need, don’t just feel pity; don’t simply offer words of encouragement. Sure those are good things, but how much better is it, to actually go out of your way and help your brother or sister or neighbor who is in need. Empty words with no action is useless! What good is it to encourage a starving man, yet not even offer him a piece of bread? Go the extra step, don’t be lazy. Remember faith comes first and we cannot merit salvation based on works. But keep this in mind, faith without action is essentially useless- or dead. We need to put into practice what we learn in order to show love for one another and to carry out the purpose of why we believe. What good is it to retain all the knowledge of God, and to have faith but do nothing about it? Faith comes first of course. Secondly, live the word, and act! Sure this teaching is more advanced, than faith alone… but when we receive the good news, we should have in us a desire, or at least a responsibility to be doers of the word as well.

Chapter 3: Responsibility & Words

“Not many should become teachers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment” James 3:1 In other words, don’t be too hasty in rushing into a position of responsibility or leadership. Sure it is an ego booster to be a teacher over a class, or a leader or pastor. But with that role comes a grave responsibility before God. When you teach others, you are essentially taking into your own hands, the salvation of your hearers! What you teach affects not only yourself but others as well. Also be careful of what you say. Words can be very powerful; more so than you realize. What we say can have the power to harm others or to help, so take great care. “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison”. James 3: 7,8 And finally, keep this in mind, if you really think you are wise, the you should really show it by your actions. If you are envious and ambitious, then don’t pretend you are wise, and certainly don’t go around bragging that you are wise- because you are not! You are just lying to yourself, because there is no way you can fool God. He knows what is inside. Envy and ambition, though they are very common qualities and even praised by so many in society, are really evil and terrible qualities. Seek after humility, peace and fairness and reject favoritism, ambition and envy!

Chapter 4: Reject Selfishness and Greed

This world and the people in it care so much about wealth, favoritism, pleasure, selfish ambition and other greedy desires! These are the sick and useless things that cause so much distress, and make this world evil in the first place! We need to reject these things not embrace them! Don’t pursue your selfish ambitions or wealth! We must choose friendship with God or the world- we cannot choose both because they are in direct opposition to one another. This world, with its selfish evil priorities and desires- is really the enemy of God. Selfishness, ambition and the pursuit of pleasure pleases the Devil! Remember that! So you need to reject these things, even though you may not want to. Sure you may feel left out or deprived without worldly things. Maybe you will feel like a second class citizen. But, you need to overcome self pity and greed. You cannot make your Coach purse, your career, your technological gadgets, your Mustang or your bank account your priority. You can if you really want to, I suppose, but don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you are doing the will of God if you do. And on top of that, you presume to judge others who don’t have the same material possessions as you to be inferior? You think that you are luckier or better off because of your wealth or possessions! Then you are delusional! You place a lot of reliance of your bank accounts, your homes, cars and material possessions. Remember you are on shaky ground with God if you do. You boast in your travels, your vacation getaways, your cruises and your parties. You talk about your 401k plans and your stocks and your plans to retire early! Perhaps you plan your agenda months in advance. But remember this humbling fact- you do not even know you have a tomorrow, there are no guarantees in life. Instead you should say “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that. But as it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil”. James 4:15-17 “Cleanse your hands, sinners and purify your hearts, double minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep….. Humble yourselves before the lord and He will exalt you.” James 4: 8-10 “Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten; your silver and gold are corrupted, and their corrosion will be a witness against you… You stored up treasure.. you have lived luxuriously… and have indulged yourselves… you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter”. James 5:1-6 Don’t misplace your faith and happiness on wealth and worldly possessions.

Chapter 5: Persist in Prayer and Encouragement

Remember that Jesus will return. You can be assured of it, but be patient as well. We ready and be faithful. Keep your encouragement up as well. Remember what Job, of the Old Testament, went through? Who can say they went through the tough times he endured, yet he persevered in his faith and was blessed by God in the end. That should serve as an example to us all. Remember to be honest, and confess our sins and our troubles to one another. Pray if you suffer and praise God when you prosper as well. Prayers of a righteous faithful person, is especially powerful so remember to pray for one another. Remember to call upon the elders in the church as well as each other when you are in need. And if one of you should stray from the truth, that man who helps him in the right path will have saved him from so many sins!


1PETER:


This letter was written from the apostle Peter to the believers of the early Christian church. Obviously this letter applies just as much to the believers of toady as in the ancient times 2000 years ago.

Chapter 1: Faith and its Reward

As believers we have much to look forward to! We have a hope in Heaven for everlasting life. And for this we have to thank God, who in his mercy and grace gave us this gift through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. This hope we have is eternal life- it will last forever: it won’t fade away or disappear- our faith is not misplaced when we depend on this. We have God’s guarantee. Therefore, rather than being discouraged, we have great reason to rejoice and be happy. Our hardships pale in comparison to what great things are in store for us. We are talking about something more important than wealth or money or gold- we are talking about eternal life! Even though we cannot see these things we can be assured that they are true. The goal; the result of our faith is eternal salvation! Even the old testament prophets which you do trust believed these things which you are learning now. Keep your eyes and your lives focused on your hope in heaven. When you live your life, in whatever you do and say, keep this in mind. Remember to consider God’s will in your life- you are called for holiness. Do not follow selfish ambitions and worldly desires. Treat life in this world as temporary. Our physical bodies and our lives on earth will not last forever. Get your priorities straight! You were redeemed by the blood of Christ, don’t waste it; live it as if you believe it! You have been born again so act in a way consistent with your rebirth.

Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5: Christian Behavior

Put your former life behind you. Remove the wickedness, deceit, envy, hypocrisy and slander that you used to do! Remember the analogy of the stone in the Old Testament scriptures? The seemingly plain and simple stone, that was rejected by the construction worker, was chosen by God as the foundation for His Church. Consider yourselves to be these stones! You are the living stones, to boot. And as a stone causes some to stumble, the irony of your election, may cause others to stumble as well. Pay no attention to those who are acting like sour grapes and hecklers. They are just jealous. You are the beneficiaries of God’s mercy, rejoice and live as though you are! Avoid selfish and fleshly desires. Remember you should be an example not just to other believers but unbelievers as well! Don’t be hypocrites either, disguising your evil deeds beneath a cloak of “religion”. Even though obeying God comes first, that is no excuse to break the laws and disobey the authority of the government. If you are a slave or if you are an employee, obey your master, and obey your employer. Remember the suffering of Jesus. He did not deserve to suffer, yet he did- and so much more- for our sakes. So if Jesus- who did not deserve to suffer willingly did- then we must keep this in mind when we must suffer. He suffered for our sins. Therefore if we have consequences as a result of our sins, shouldn’t we just accept it? Husbands and wives should respect and love each other. Beauty is within- it has nothing to do with your physical appearance or your clothes or your jewelry! Everyone should have compassion and love for one another. Don’t be too hasty to get angry and seek revenge when others insult you or offend you. Do what you can in your power to seek peace at all costs. And if by chance your suffering is undeserved and you are persecuted for your faith, then consider yourselves blessed for you are in good company. It is better to suffer for what is right than to suffer the consequences for doing what is bad. Remember Jesus’ sacrifice. A clear conscious before the Lord is the best that you can strive for. Those who live their evil lives, rejecting the gospel will be judged by God. Don’t envy them for they will get what is coming; pay no attention when those evil doers make fun of you. No matter what continue in your faith and continue to please God. If you are an elder of your congregation or church, you are entrusted with a greater responsibility to oversee your congregation with willingness and humility, and without expectation of worldly recognition.

Chapter 6: Remain Alert

“Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary, the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him!” 1Peter5: 8,9 We are called to eternal glory with Jesus. But remain on the watch, don’t become lazy or complacent with the evil ways of this world or you will be caught off guard and become an easy target for the devil’s schemes.

2PETER

Chapter 1:

Grow in Faith

Through God’s divine power, we have everything we need in line and everything there is to know in order to live a life of goodness. God has promised to us eternal life and a hope to look forward to so that may need not despair in the evils and corruption of the world that is around us. We need to “supplement” our faith with goodness, knowledge, endurance and self control. Not only that, we need to strengthen and train ourselves to increase in these good qualities. This will help us avoid stumbling when we are face to face with the temptations and evils of this world. We should not be stagnate, we need to continue to grow and learn! Remember that we want to enter into the kingdom of heaven. These words of Peter will remain true, long after his death because they reflect the eternal message and truth of God.

God’s Word is Truth!

Remember that the apostles delivering the message of the gospel: James, Peter and Paul as well as the others were eyewitnesses to these things. This isn’t a fairy tale. It is true beyond a doubt and it is proven by the testimony and witnesses of countless numbers of people. Consider the life of Jesus, and how many people that witnessed his teachings and miracles and resurrection! It is not made up. Pay attention to this gospel message. It is like a flashlight that shines brightly in the darkness. These messages are not derived from human minds and imaginations, but from the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 2:

False Teachers, Beware!

Be aware of false teachers as well as false prophets, who will subtly and secretly spread lies about God. Many people will be suckered into believing those lies, and countless others will simply condemn Christianity as a whole. These false leaders will use clever deception to exploit naïve people and believers! Don’t worry, their certain condemnation awaits. Think about this: If God did not even spare his beloved angels when they rebelled, or the wicked men in the time of Noah, or the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, then be assured the Lord will punish those false teachers as well. But don’t worry about yourselves- if God kept his faithful safe, such as Noah and Lot, he will keep his believers safe from judgment as well. God is an expert and is faithful in rescuing his faithful people from trails. He will not let his believers suffer the same fate as the deceivers and unbelievers.

Corrupt Evil Doers, Beware!

What nerve these arrogant unbelievers have! Who do they think they are? “Bold, arrogant people! They do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones: however angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against the Lord. But these people, like irrational animals- creatures of instinct…. speak blasphemies about the things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed, suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness”. 2Peter 2” 10-13 They critique and condemn God and the message of salvation. They throw it away in exchange for their own lies and deceptions. Anything that is filthy and evil, they not only do but approve of as well. They seek out sin. They see adultery as fun! They specialize in deception and lies, seducing the weak and the naïve. They may as well consider themselves cursed because they will be under the judgment of God. Their reward will be the eternal gloom of darkness which is well deserved. They go out of their way to tempt believers as well, trying with all their might to turn people away from the Lord. They claim to be open minded; they claim to offer freedom- but what they really peddle is death and destruction! Don’t be fooled! Don’t get caught up with these evil people. Don’t turn back from your faith. “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back.” 2Peter 2:21. Remember this, “a dog returns to its own vomit and a sow after washing itself wallows in the mud”. 2Peter2 :22 Those who are filthy and depraved, have a way of returning back to their filthy depravity.

Chapter 3: Jesus’ Return A.K.A the Lord’s Day

This is your reminder, recall everything you have been taught thus far. In the end days before Jesus returns, be aware that doubters and evil doers will increase in their number as well as in their depravities. Don’t be shocked or surprised. Ignore them when they make fun and place doubt in the fact that Jesus is returning. Don’t let their ignorant words and heckling discourage you. And as for yourselves, don’t get discouraged or impatient. The second coming of Jesus will come- but on God’s own time. To God there is no difference between a thousand years or one day. Sure, to us, even 100 years may as well seem like forever to us, but in God’s eyes, 1000 years is simply like a day. Its just that God’s conception of time, is not like our limited ideas about time. God does not back down on his promise but is patient knowing in His wisdom, that by allowing more time, he allows more people to come to salvation. The Day of the Lord, which is the second coming of Jesus, will come when we least expect it to come. It will “come like a thief” 2Peter3:10. When that happens, it will be obvious. With a loud noise, Heaven will pass away, and the earth will be consumed with fire. There will be a new heaven and a new earth! Not only that, just as miraculous, what we should be more concerned about is this: the works and motives of all men will be revealed. What has been hidden for ages, will be revealed to all! Therefore we should await this day in faith and confidence if we are believers.

Don’t forget that God’s patience provides an opportunity for salvation. Put it this way, what if the second coming happened 10 years before you accepted the message of salvation? Where would you be then? So just as you came to salvation, others who are not saved now, may come to salvation as well. Don’t be deceived or tempted by evil and be on guard always.

James

JAMES:

Chapter 1:

Going Through Tough Times

“Consider it a great joy my brothers whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2 The byproduct of going through a trial is an increase in endurance and personal strength. That does not mean that it is right to say that God creates trials for this purpose- it simply is a statement that when we go through difficult times, then we grow in strength. Remember, just as God cannot be tempted or lured by sin and evil, he does not willingly tempt us. It is our own evil desires which lead to our downfall. So, don’t accuse God or hold Him responsible! It is our own weakness and tendency to sin that is the cause of our temptation and subsequent downfall. And remember this, don’t be puffed out with self praise just because you think you are better than anyone else. If obeying the Lord naturally comes easy for you, good for you! Keep your boasting to yourself, because remember, one day your life will end just as the autumn leaves which dry up al fall off the trees. And if you struggle daily to obey the word of God, don’t beat yourself up over it, praise God, because you are aware of your spiritual need. No matter what, keep this one thing in mind, when you do have the strength to endure hardships and tests in life, remember you will be blessed all the more when it is finally over! The message we have heard makes us a new life in Christ, we are totally different! If there is something we do not understand, or something we really feel that we need or that is important to us, we should ask God about it. And not only this, we should be confident in God’s willingness and ability to meet all of our needs!

Your Behavior

Keep a reign on your temper! If you have a short fuse, watch your mouth- and keep it shut. Put a muzzle on your mouth. If you want to hit someone, go lock yourself in a closet- restrain yourself! If you know you have a problem in this department, some anger management skills cannot hurt. Anger does nothing to help others come to God! And remember, don’t use “righteous anger” as an excuse to do or say whatever you want either. So think about it, your anger accomplishes nothing to promote the message of God. In fact it hinders others from understanding and accepting the good news of salvation. Do you think you are religious? Do you feel you have a gift? Well think twice- if you are consumed with anger, all the preaching in the world will not help your listeners or draw them closer to God. “Rid yourselves of all moral filth and evil excess.” James 1:21 Don’t just read the bible and listen to sermons. Do something about it! Put what you read and learn into practice as well. Remember to help one another in need.

Chapter 2:

Playing Favorites

Don’t play favorites! How unfair! Don’t be quick to judge others by their clothing and wealth. Remember that in God’s eyes, those who wear designer clothing, handbags & jewelry and who drive expensive have no advantage! Do you think they are better people because they have money? Then why do you act as if they are better by giving them preferential treatment and by acting nicer to them! What an injustice! Don’t you know that when you do that you are guilty of discrimination? Don’t you know that you are taking the liberty of being a judge! How dare you! And what good do the wealthy do anyway, but to flaunt their riches as if they are better, and to use their so called power for selfish ambition? Remember that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. His message was delivered to the poor as well as the wealthy. God considers all to be equal and commands us all to love our neighbors- whether they are poor or rich! So stop being a stuck up snob- treat everyone with fairness.

Doing the Word; Bringing Your Faith to Life!

Bring your faith to life, by putting into practice what you read and what you learn. If you see someone in need, don’t just feel pity; don’t simply offer words of encouragement. Sure those are good things, but how much better is it, to actually go out of your way and help your brother or sister or neighbor who is in need. Empty words with no action is useless! What good is it to encourage a starving man, yet not even offer him a piece of bread? Go the extra step, don’t be lazy. Remember faith comes first and we cannot merit salvation based on works. But keep this in mind, faith without action is essentially useless- or dead. We need to put into practice what we learn in order to show love for one another and to carry out the purpose of why we believe. What good is it to retain all the knowledge of God, and to have faith but do nothing about it? Faith comes first of course. Secondly, live the word, and act! Sure this teaching is more advanced, than faith alone… but when we receive the good news, we should have in us a desire, or at least a responsibility to be doers of the word as well.

Chapter 3: Responsibility & Words

“Not many should become teachers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment” James 3:1 In other words, don’t be too hasty in rushing into a position of responsibility or leadership. Sure it is an ego booster to be a teacher over a class, or a leader or pastor. But with that role comes a grave responsibility before God. When you teach others, you are essentially taking into your own hands, the salvation of your hearers! What you teach affects not only yourself but others as well. Also be careful of what you say. Words can be very powerful; more so than you realize. What we say can have the power to harm others or to help, so take great care. “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison”. James 3: 7,8 And finally, keep this in mind, if you really think you are wise, the you should really show it by your actions. If you are envious and ambitious, then don’t pretend you are wise, and certainly don’t go around bragging that you are wise- because you are not! You are just lying to yourself, because there is no way you can fool God. He knows what is inside. Envy and ambition, though they are very common qualities and even praised by so many in society, are really evil and terrible qualities. Seek after humility, peace and fairness and reject favoritism, ambition and envy!

Chapter 4: Reject Selfishness and Greed

This world and the people in it care so much about wealth, favoritism, pleasure, selfish ambition and other greedy desires! These are the sick and useless things that cause so much distress, and make this world evil in the first place! We need to reject these things not embrace them! Don’t pursue your selfish ambitions or wealth! We must choose friendship with God or the world- we cannot choose both because they are in direct opposition to one another. This world, with its selfish evil priorities and desires- is really the enemy of God. Selfishness, ambition and the pursuit of pleasure pleases the Devil! Remember that! So you need to reject these things, even though you may not want to. Sure you may feel left out or deprived without worldly things. Maybe you will feel like a second class citizen. But, you need to overcome self pity and greed. You cannot make your Coach purse, your career, your technological gadgets, your Mustang or your bank account your priority. You can if you really want to, I suppose, but don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you are doing the will of God if you do. And on top of that, you presume to judge others who don’t have the same material possessions as you to be inferior? You think that you are luckier or better off because of your wealth or possessions! Then you are delusional! You place a lot of reliance of your bank accounts, your homes, cars and material possessions. Remember you are on shaky ground with God if you do. You boast in your travels, your vacation getaways, your cruises and your parties. You talk about your 401k plans and your stocks and your plans to retire early! Perhaps you plan your agenda months in advance. But remember this humbling fact- you do not even know you have a tomorrow, there are no guarantees in life. Instead you should say “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that. But as it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil”. James 4:15-17 “Cleanse your hands, sinners and purify your hearts, double minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep….. Humble yourselves before the lord and He will exalt you.” James 4: 8-10 “Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten; your silver and gold are corrupted, and their corrosion will be a witness against you… You stored up treasure.. you have lived luxuriously… and have indulged yourselves… you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter”. James 5:1-6 Don’t misplace your faith and happiness on wealth and worldly possessions.

Chapter 5: Persist in Prayer and Encouragement

Remember that Jesus will return. You can be assured of it, but be patient as well. We ready and be faithful. Keep your encouragement up as well. Remember what Job, of the Old Testament, went through? Who can say they went through the tough times he endured, yet he persevered in his faith and was blessed by God in the end. That should serve as an example to us all. Remember to be honest, and confess our sins and our troubles to one another. Pray if you suffer and praise God when you prosper as well. Prayers of a righteous faithful person, is especially powerful so remember to pray for one another. Remember to call upon the elders in the church as well as each other when you are in need. And if one of you should stray from the truth, that man who helps him in the right path will have saved him from so many sins!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Titus, Philemon & Hebrews



TITUS:

Paul addressed this letter to Titus, another leader and teacher of the ancient Christian church. As with his other letters, this one too applies to all believers of the gospel message: paste and present who place their faith in the “hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began and has in his own name revealed His message”. 1Titus:2 Just as Titus is a child of God, we too are children of God.

Chapter 1: False Teachings

As in his letter to Timothy, Paul describes the essential traits of an elder or any leader in the church. In contrast, those who do not teach true doctrine, but teach false doctrines opposing the gospel message are by no means legitimate teachers or leaders! In fact, such false teachers must be rebuked and stopped. Don’t pay any attention to man made teachings and philosophies. Ignore myths and man made rules! As he warned in the book of Romans (the first chapter), there will be non believers who reject the message of the Lord. They are dead in spirit- with a conscious that is defiled and corrupt. And a more subtle danger is this: those who claim to be religious, yet are spiritually dead. In other words, be on the watch for those who claim to be Christians or who claim to be religious, yet at the same time deny the words of the gospel message. Such people are nothing more than hypocrites or Pharisees, believing their man made rituals and traditions will save them, while denying God’s grace thereby robbing the cross of its power to save.

Chapter 2: Interpersonal relationships

Having had been forewarned about the dangers of straying from the gospel message, you should be all the more aware of sticking with the sound teaching of the gospel message. Do not stray from it! As a leader of the church and as a teacher you have that greater responsibility to stick with the truth. Furthermore, appropriate behavior must be encouraged within the members of the Christian community: women, wives, husbands, men, children and seniors as well must strive in maintaining dignity and integrity in their own lives and their relationships with others. We are all called to be submissive and loving with each other as we are to the Lord. Despite socio-economic background, despite one’s position or station in life; man, woman, freedman, slave, servant or master- in God’s eyes no one has any advantage over the other! “For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people”. Titus2:11

Chapter 3: Life in Christ

As Christians we should strive to be pleasing to God. Make no mistake- this does not mean we can merit salvation by our works! This could not be farther from the truth. By grace alone we are save- lest anyone should boast and rob the cross of its power to save. But, as believers we should act in accordance with the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, seeking to abandon our former filthy ways and acting in humility and love towards one another. Furthermore, we need to respect the laws and authorities in power, because in doing so, we will be all the more ready to promote our gospel message. In this way, when we live as the Holy Spirit leads us- this is how we do “good works”. It is not based on our own desires or merits, but based on our faith in the Holy Spirit. So, remember this: avoid worthless debates, disputes and people who seek to cause fights and dissention.

In closing, we must remember this: God saved us- God is our Savior! It is His mercy that saved us, not our own works! Through Jesus we have been made justified. Through the Holy Sprit, which God gives to his believers, we can live for Christ here in this lifetime, as well as the eternal life to come. Paul tells us that we can trust this message. It is true!

PHILEMON:

This is a unique letter written by Paul to a fellow believer named Philemon concerning a slave owned by Philemon. Apparently, Philemon’s slave, named Onesimus, escaped from his master and made his way to Paul, in Rome. While in Rome, Onesimus became a believer in Christ. Not only that, he spent much time with Paul- essentially becoming like a companion to Paul while he himself was imprisoned in Rome. But doing the right thing, Onesimus goes back to his former master to face the consequences. In his letter, Paul asks Philemon to be lenient towards his slave, because Paul considers him to be a child of God, a brother in the faith. In fact, Paul makes a comparison: that we too are servants of Christ- Paul is a slave to Christ. Just as Christ showed us mercy, and more specifically, in imitation to the mercy that Philemon received from God when he was saved, Philemon himself should imitate this and give mercy to his slave Onesimus. Paul reminds him that if his slave owes him any debt, Paul himself will pay it off. Furthermore, Paul reminds him that Philemon owes his very life- his spiritual life to Paul, because without having heard the gospel message from Paul, he would not have been saved either. And eternal life is far more valuable then any monetary debt that Onesimus may have incurred. In subtle words, Paul hints that Philemon should take the extra step in freeing Onesimus from the bonds of physical slavery and treating him like the equal man that he actually is considered to be, under God.

With this final letter, is the conclusion of Paul’s letters in the New Testament.


HEBREWS

This letter, by an unknown apostle of the ancient Christian church, was written to the Jewish people, otherwise known as the Hebrews. The intent of this letter was to illustrate how Jesus, who is greater than all the angels, prophets and priests, represents the new covenant thereby replacing the imperfect old covenant which simply consisted of the law and imperfect sacrifices. The old covenant could not save anyone, but through faith in Jesus, salvation finally becomes available.
Italic
Chapter 1: The True Identity of Jesus

No prophets after Jesus:
A long time ago, in the times of the Old Testament, over two thousand years ago, God used various prophets as messengers of his word. His message was delivered to the masses by means of a messenger, known as a prophet. Some of these prophets included the well known prophets such as Noah, Abraham and Moses. Also included are Isaiah, Solomon, and Daniel. In these days, God speaks to us through his Son, Jesus. And Jesus is considered to be the Word, and this message of salvation is the gospel message. There are no more prophets- we do not need any because we have the gospel message of Jesus. Therefore if anyone claims to be a modern day prophet of God- don’t believe it!

Jesus, reflective of God, is the creator:
Jesus is the rightful heir of everything in this world- seen and unseen; visible and invisible; physical and spiritual. The universe was created through Jesus. Jesus made the universe! Jesus sustains the world! Furthermore, Jesus is the expression and radiance of God’s glory and nature. This means that Jesus is the perfect reflection of God.

After Jesus died for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of God in glory and honor. Jesus is worthy of worship. In fact God commanded that we as well as all the angels worship Jesus! God said these things concerning Jesus: Jesus is referred to as God. (In fact, when speaking to Jesus, God calls him God by using Old Testament references in application to Jesus.) Jesus’ throne is everlasting for all eternity. Jesus’ Kingdom reflects justice. In other words all the attributes which describe God are used to describe Jesus! The significance is this: Jesus is not simply another angel, but considered to be equal with God and one with God!

Chapter 2:

Do Not Reject the Gospel Message:
The gospel message is very important. Do not take it lightly. Do not dismiss it an unimportant. Be careful not to drift from the message of salvation. Remember the angels that rebelled in heaven? Remember the rebellion led by Satan? Is it not true that God swiftly handled their punishment, banishing them forever from heaven? Consider that to be a warning for us. If the angels weren’t spared, neither will we be spared if we turn away the salvation of God.

The Significance and Benefits of Jesus and His Humanity:
Despite the true identity of Jesus that was discussed in the first chapter: the fact that Jesus is the expression and fullness of God, and that honor and glory rightfully belongs to Jesus - for a short time, Jesus was reduced to a lower level of subordination, beneath the angels, in order that He could die and fully bear our sins. Because we are made of flesh and blood (because we are human beings with human bodies), Jesus therefore had to put on a body just like us as well. Through Jesus we receive salvation. This makes perfect sense- that this very Jesus who was responsible for creating the world, should also be responsible for its salvation as well. Through Jesus’ death, and his sacrifice for our sins, he destroyed both the Devil and the power of death as well. Just like the high priests in the Old Testament, and much more so- he was merciful and faithful in the role he took on: to make amends for the sins of the people in this world!

Chapter 3:

Comparisons to the Old Testament:
As mentioned earlier, to aid as a help in understanding the role of Jesus; Jesus is compared to the role of the high priest of the Old Testament. Keep in mind that this letter was written to the Hebrews, hence its title. The term Hebrews is another name for the Jewish people, and they would have been very familiar with the Old Testament prophets and especially the role of the high priest. Therefore familiar positions and heroes to the Hebrew people of the ancient church were used as comparisons in the letter to aid in its understanding. Furthermore, Jesus was not only compared to well known heroes of the Old Testament such as Moses, but he was considered to worthy of more honor and glory. Old Testament passages and stories were used to emphasis the points that this writer wanted to make. Just as the Israelites were hardened in their hearts and full of disbelief despite God’s miracles, we are as well hardened in heart. During the time of Exodus, when Moses and the Jews were in the desert, the continued to complain despite the miracles they witnessed. We are warned as well, not to toughen up our hearts. And just as the Jews who wandered in the desert in disbelief and rebellion for 40 years never saw the promised land, nor will we if we if we disobey God and reject the gospel message of salvation. This should serve as a warning for us.

Chapters 4 and 5: Importance of Accepting the Message and Our Advocate, Jesus

Basically we should maintain our faith in the hope of God’s promise, yet not disregard God’s warning about rejecting the message of salvation. What good will it be for us to hear the message yet not accept it and follow it? Then we are no better off than those Israelites in the time of Exodus that wandered for years and yet never reached the promised land.

“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide the soul… it is the judge of ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him.” Hebrews 4:12,13 We must remember this, Jesus is our advocate, our very own high priest, yet without sin, who can sympathize with us perfectly. In obedience he suffered for our sake. Therefore through Jesus we may be bold and confident when we approach the throne of God- we will receive mercy and grace. In gentleness and mercy, he deals with us. Jesus is the source of eternal salvation,

Chapter 6: Keep the Pace With Your Faith & Education!

It is apparent, after listening to this gospel message, and the teachings of Paul, as well as the other apostles, that many are still ignorant and have even misunderstood the message of the gospel. There really is no excuse for this, but obviously many progress in the faith and in their obedience at a slow rate. It is if they have a lot of maturing to do. They are not yet ready for more intense doctrines, and still must be taught the basics. In other words, they need a remedial course in the basics of the faith and are not yet ready for more advanced teachings. Remember the foundation of your faith must be correct in the first place: the foundation must be based on faith and not worthless works. And keep in mind another important point, as we progress in our faith, try not to backslide. Move forward in your faith! Be diligent! “For it is impossible to renew repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions of the Holy Spirit…. And who have fallen away, because to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.” Hebrews 6:5,6 What good does it do if you turn your back on the gospel message and of salvation? Don’t be lazy, don’t forget your faith, and most of all don’t turn your back on the hope and the message of salvation- persevere to the end! God’s promise is true and we can depend on it. Once again, Jesus is our hope and guarantee!

Chapters 7 and 8: A Priest & Covenant Like No Other!

Melchizedek was a high priest of the Old Testament. He was not just any, ordinary high priest- he was the most important one. He had a special place of honor. Because of this, comparisons are made with Jesus and the priesthood of Melchizedek. And the covenant that Jesus reflects, exceeds by far the covenant of Melchizedek. To the Hebrews of the first century, this was a powerful comparison. And unlike a human priest who will eventually die, Jesus holds his place forever! And furthermore, Jesus is holy, sinless and perfect.

Earthly priests serve a purpose, but they pale in comparison to the perfection and significance of Jesus. And just as the first covenant, also served its purpose, it was flawed in its ability to provide for our eternal salvation. Therefore, God made a new covenant, known as a superior covenant. In the Old Testament, which was available to the Jews even before the time of Jesus, it was prophesized that God would institute a new covenant to replace the old covenant. Under the new promised covenant, God promised mercy and forgiveness of sins.




Chapter 9: The New Covenant Replaces the Old

The first Covenant was based on rules and regulations. Its home base was an earthly sanctuary and an earthly tabernacle. The sacrifices offered by the priest were imperfect. But with Jesus, that all changed. God set into place a new covenant with Jesus as the high priest, the mediator. This new covenant was not based on rules and regulations or a physical tabernacle. Through Jesus we have a better hope than what the first covenant offered. Through Jesus we can have the hope of eternal life—a promise of eternal inheritance. More specifically, Jesus died for our sins- and after his death, the new covenant came into effect- much like a will that goes in effect only after its owner has died. And, when this new covenant came into effect, all the blessings, promises and hope came into effect as well! No longer are imperfect animal sacrifices used to imperfectly atone for sins; but a perfect sacrifice- Jesus is the atonement. Think about how much greater this perfect sacrifice is, for our sakes, than the imperfect method of sacrifice instituted by the old obsolete covenant of the Old Testament. The man made tabernacle has been replaced with the hope of heaven. Imperfect remission of sin has been replaced by mercy and forgiveness. Jesus’ death once and for all is the atonement for sin- continuous sacrifice is no longer needed. For those who accept the sacrifice, the reward of salvation- eternal life- awaits.

Chapter 10

The Limits of the Old Covenant:
The law, as the first covenant, is imperfect and limited. It was simply a foreshadowing of what was to come. The animal sacrifices of the priest were not sufficient- they were never good enough, and they had to be continuously repeated! They were ineffective in removing sin completely and effectively! It is impossible for the blood of an animal to take away sin. Therefore, the body of Jesus was offered as the perfect sacrifice to take away sins once and for all. And those he has sanctified through his death, are in fact perfected! That means their sins have been removed and completely forgotten by God. Furthermore, after Jesus was sacrificed for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

Our Life Must Reflect Our Assurance:
We must live a life to reflect our faith in the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We should encourage and love each other and not neglect meting together. We should act as if we have confidence and assurances because God is faithful, and we can depend on the promise of eternal salvation. “For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” Hebrews 10: 26 Therefore if we reject the sacrifice of Jesus, then how can we expect to be saved by the very sacrifice of Jesus that we rejected? Obviously we can not expect to be saved by Jesus if we reject Jesus. It is simply like throwing the gift of God’s mercy back into the face of God. It is the same as insulting and profaning the Holy Spirit, God and Jesus. And we already know we can never be saved by the works of the law. Therefore, we may as well be cursed and subjected to God’s judgment as payment for our own sins. And be assured of this, if Jesus’ sacrifice has not covered your sins, then you will be subjected to the punishment of God as a consequence of your sins which have not been otherwise atoned for. The righteous live by faith, but as for those who reject the mercy of God and His atonement of sins, for those who reject faith, they must pay for their own sin and suffer the consequence entailed. Such people will not have eternal life.

Chapter 11: Approved By Faith

What exactly is faith? “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen”. Hebrews 11:1. And what does having faith do for us? With faith we are “approved” by God, just as the ancient prophets were. Ancient prophets and believers of the Old Testament that displayed faith included: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses as well as others. These people serve as great examples of this. Through faith, these believers were approved as righteous! It was not through works, but faith. Their actions simply were reflections of their faith, but they were approved by God as a result of their faith and not their works. “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him” Hebrews 11:6. What this means is this, we must believe in the reality of what we actually hope for even if we do not see it! Even if we do not see God, we must believe in the reality of God’s existence. And not only that we must firmly believe that God will reward us who seek Him out. All of these Old Testament characters mentioned displayed this kind of faith. It was a result of their faith that they were accepted by God. As a result of their faith, they were rewarded by God. If you need to refresh your memory as to the authenticity of these claims just read the Old Testament stories them selves! “All these were approved through their faith” Hebrews 11:30

Chapters 12 and 13: Discipline and Persistence in the Faith

Knowing all this, we should keep our focus on Jesus and do our best to avoid sins. Remember, Jesus died for us, enduring a shameful death in order that we may have eternal life. If Jesus could do this for us, we should at least persist in our endurance and our faith. Think about it in this way: Jesus shed His blood for our sins so that we would not have to. Therefore, if Jesus died for us, our trials and suffering pale in comparison to the ordeal Jesus went through. Foregoing our wants is a small price to pay when we consider the goal ahead of us. And just as an earthly father disciplines his children that he loves, our Heavenly Father disciplines us as well. This should not discourage us, but rather encourage us in knowing that we are God’s children. This discipline is for our good- we need to remember that.

Keep your eye on what is important and don’t be consumed by petty or sinful desires. For example, remember the story of Esau, consumed with greed, he exchanged his birthright for a meal! How ridiculous this sounds to us, but anytime we pursue a selfish fleshly or material desire in rebellion of God’s will, then we essentially are doing something just as stupid as Esau! When we act immorally or sin then essentially we are throwing away the glories of God for a temporary, passing pleasure. How stupid and blinded we must actually be to throw away our reward for a fleshly desire! Do you want to be just like Esau neglecting salvation for a petty pleasure? Remember that we seek something greater and more permanent than what this material world has to offer. Remember the punishments of those who ignored the prophets who delivered God’s messages in the times of the Old Testaments? If those people that rejected the prophets were punished, then imagine how we will be punished, all the more for rejecting the message and salvation of God Himself!

In closing, remember what is right and live in a way consistent with your faith. Show love and hospitality. Pray and obey those in authority and leadership. Avoid immorality and the love of money. Make your priorities straight. Be satisfied with what you have. Do not deviate from the gospel message and watch out for false teachings! Jesus always remains the same and does not change. The message of salvation that you have heard and accepted will not change! Remember that God is always with you and you have nothing to fear.



Monday, June 22, 2009

The First and Second Letters to Timothy

1Timothy

Even though Paul’s letter was originally intended for Timothy, an early leader of the ancient Christian church, his words and message are directed to all believers in the gospel message, “according to the command of God our savior and of Jesus Christ, our hope”. 1Tim1:2 This letter is considered to be instructions for us, If we reject the message of the gospel and the instructions of Paul, we might “suffer the shipwreck” of our faith as others who reject instruction. 1Tim1:19

Chapter 1: Warnings against False Teachings
Paul warns believers concerning false doctrines, myths and genealogies, which “promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan”. 1Tim1:4 In other words, as believers we should know better than to believe in myths, superstition, old wife’s tales, racist ideologies or any other type of story or doctrine contrary to the gospel message. Even if there is a claim that it is God’s message- don’t believe it. For example, there are some false religious cults that promote certain races as others- considering some races to be God’s chosen people. For example, Hitler and the Nazis, as well as other subtle cults such as Armstrongism and Mormonism, claim that Anglo Saxon white races have an advantage in God’s favor over others. They will go to great lengths to trace their ancestry as if it gives them an advantage. But as Jesus himself said, God can turn a stone and make it an ancestor of Abraham if he wished to. An unhealthy focus on geneology or ancestry is contrary to God’s will. Furthermore, do not believe anyone who places an unhealthy emphasis on the observance of the law either. Many modern cult groups do this as well. But, we know we can only be saved by faith in God’s grace- not our own merits- lest we rob the cross of its power. And to further expand upon the erroneous idea that one may be saved by the law- Paul goes on to explain that those under the curse of the law are the nonbelievers! Not the believers! The law is not meant for the believer but the nonbeliever: the unholy, irreverent, murderers, sexual immoral, homosexuals, fornicators, liars, and perjurers to name a few. Yet there is hope for such filthy people- as there was hope for Paul, all of us who used to be apart from God because Jesus came to this world to save sinners. He saved Paul and he saved us who believe as well.

Chapters 2 and 3: The Source of Church Teaching and Traditions

If you ever wonder why in church prayers are offered on the behalf of presidents and world leaders, its because Paul suggests that we pray for anyone in authority and power. This is because God wants everyone to come to come to the truth and be saved. Women should dress modestly, so as to not call attention to either their wealth of physical attributes. “Good works” serve much better as a cloak, than do expensive materials and jewelry. Women should not preach over a mixed congregation that includes men- this is not to demean women, but a recognition of God’s natural order. An overseer or leader of the church must have certain qualifications. For example he must have only one wife- which is obvious. Also how he manages his household must be considered as well- if he can’t even manage his household in a moral and competent matter, how can he be trusted in managing am entire church? Common sense tells us he shouldn’t be a new convert either, and have a good reputation as well. Deacons, another position of authority in the church, must meet the same qualifications as well. In general, leaders must have qualities consistent with biblical principles: self control, faithfulness, respectful, and honest… to name a few.

God was manifest in the flesh as Jesus, this is considered to be God’s great mystery which has been made known to us as believers and preached everywhere.

Chapter 4: Hold Fast to the Gospel Message

A few more points to remember about false teachings: if anyone tells you it is against God’s wishes to marry and to avoid certain foods- don’t believe this. “Everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving”. 1Tim4: 4 We must train ourselves in increasing our faith rather than doing works of pointless “sacrifice”. Regardless of your age, continue in your faith and the teaching of the gospel message. “Be conscientious of your teaching… for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1Tim4:16

Chapter 5: Interpersonal Relationship Advice

Paul offers practical advice in interpersonal relationships and church responsibilities: discipline, widows and elders are discussed. A warning is issued against the problem of favoritism and of the importance of avoiding the sins of others as well.

Chapter 6: Warnings Against False Teaching and Wealth

Once again, Paul places more emphasis concerning his disgust for false doctrine and pointless disputes from the first chapter. Concerning false teaching, Paul considers such individuals as “having a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words”. 1Tim6:4 And, furthermore, the consequences of these meaningless disputes which are encouraged by false doctrines and false teachers are quarreling, envy and evil suspicions, to name just a few! Furthermore Paul goes in to say that the individuals behind such arguments are “men whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth” 1Tim6:5

We should remember to be content with the necessities of life: food and clothing. After all when we die, we can not take our wealth and material possessions with us! “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains”. 1Tim6:9-10 And furthermore, to those who are wealthy, Paul warns such people not to set their hope on wealth. Rather, he admonishes them to be generous with their wealth.

In closing, Paul emphasizes for the third time, to avoid “irreverent, empty speech” and false doctrines which are cleverly disguised as knowledge. Timothy, as well as every believer, is expected to seek righteousness and godliness. We are to “fight the good fight for the faith….to which you are called”. 1Tim6:12

2Timothy

Chapters 1and 2

Perseverance is Worth the Eternal Reward:

As in his first letter to Timothy, Paul emphasizes the same themes: enthusiasm for the gospel and warnings against false doctrines. “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness but one of power, love and sound judgment.” 2Tim1:7. Therefore just as he said in his letter to the Romans, we should not be ashamed of the gospel message. Despite our fears, we need not worry even when faced with persecution, because the Holy Spirit will give us the strength we need to share the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Just as Paul declares he was appointed as an apostle/ teacher, we are called to spread the good news of the gospel with the same fearlessness as well! With the Holy Spirit we can get the strength we need to remain loyal and strong. Paul’s purpose is that he may share the message of God so that all those who believe may obtain salvation. Our suffering will pale in comparison to our eternal reward in heaven. Any suffering we endure for the sake of the Lord’s message will be more than worth it, in the end!

Avoid False Teachings and Disputes:

One of the favored pastimes is debating and disputing. This can happen with family, friends, church members and even strangers in an internet chat room! Most of these debates are driven out of selfish pride. Paul cannot emphasis this enough- concerning the dangers of false teachings and the disputes that follow, In fact, empty speech, false teaching and arguments do much to encourage godlessness. Concerning false teachers and their false words, Paul explains “their word will spread like gangrene” 2Tim2:17. What this means is that false teachings and the evil fruits of false teaching have the potential for much damage! Not only are false teachings something to avoid- it is important to flee from “foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing they breed quarrels”. Many think it is good to engage in debates, they take pride in their so called abilities to exchange words, and to prove themselves right. But Christians should never ever do this! “The lord’s slave (Christians) must not quarrel, but must be gentle with everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness” 2Tim2:24-25. It is up to God to act on a person’s spirit- an argument will not do it, only God. So even if you feel you are justified in arguing or debating with others concerning the bible, or whatever the case may be- remember that is not the way to win souls for Christ!

Chapter 3: Bad Behavior and Phony Religion

In the last days, “people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!” 2Tim3:1-5

False Christians Condemned!

In addition to a long list of negative, yet common deplorable qualities we see in the world today, listed by Paul in this passage, the final one “holding to the form of religion, but denying its power” is among the most deceptive and prevalent danger of modern day society. Many people today claim to be religious- and in fact they may claim to be Christian, to boot! But, how many of these same so called “Christians” actually believe the words of the bible- very few! They are just phony “Christians”. How many of these self proclaimed, counterfeit “Christians” believe the gospel message? In fact many deny the bible to be true- saying it is no more real than a book of fairy tales, or Greek myths. Many household have bibles in their homes but do not even read them. Their bibles collect dust on the book shelf, or in dresser draws, held in the same esteem as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Many individuals and families attend church services, yet they place more regard for man made tradition and philosophies than the very word of God! They will even show shame when confronted with the true message of God. Yet, they will attend religious ceremonies and religious rituals, not advocated by God. And by attending such blasphemous, idolatrous rituals they will feel they have satisfied their religious quota, feeling smug and righteous just like a Pharisee! Their false pius rituals will not save them, their phony righteous sacrifices and good works will not save them, their tithes and their money will not save them either! Their religion is false and empty, and it is these individuals and churches that will say “Lord, Lord” and in return, Jesus will say to them “depart from me for I never knew you”.

False Teachers and Imposters on the Loose in the Last Days

With the passage of time, we draw closer to the “Last Days”. This is not to be considered the same as a superstitious urgency that the end of the world is going to happen tomorrow. In fact, Paul warned the Thessalonians about this problem. Instead, Paul’s message is just to serve as a warning of what will come at the end times. Remember since the time of Jesus and Paul and the early Christian church, over 2000 years have passed. That is quite a bit have time. And it is obvious that even within the past generation and furthermore - even within the past twenty years, societal moral standards have relaxed and indecency has become more celebrated and prevalent in modern society than ever before in history! There are so many people who are spiritually dead- they are spiritual vacuums just waiting to engulf anything that meets their fancy. Those who are dissatisfied, idle, bored or angry are prime targets. The ignorant and naïve, and those with hardened hearts and “burdened down with sins, led by a variety of passions” are empty receptacles waiting to be filled with false teachings and doctrines. Beware of what you fill your mind with. If you don’t fill yourself on the truth of God, watch out, and be warned. Be on the watch because so many are caught off guard and fall prey to false teachings. “Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived”. 2Tim3:13. But what is the solution for this? The answer is this: “Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed…that you have known the sacred scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus”. 2Tim3: 14-15


Chapter 4:

In conclusion, Paul tells us:”proclaim the message: persist in it whether convenient or not”. He tells us that there will come a time, and that time is now, when people will not listen to the message of God, they will ignore sound doctrine in favor for whatever ridiculous teachings and popular ideas that suit their own selfish desires and needs.